High School Teachers' Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: AERA Poster Session 2
  In Poster Session: Motivation and Cognitive Processes in Classrooms (San Diego)

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to move from traditional face-to-face teaching to a virtual setting. Given the potential implications of this new setting for teachers’ connections with students and engagement with technology, we conducted a mixed-methods study to examine U.S. teachers’ self-efficacy across these domains. Fifty-one teachers from one Midwest high school completed an online survey. Teachers indicated their pre-pandemic and pandemic relational and technology self-efficacy, their emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction, and responded to open-ended items about virtually forming teacher-student relationships. Findings indicated that teachers reported lower relational self-efficacy during the pandemic. However, qualitative findings suggested that while teachers found connecting with students challenging, many identified new ways to connect with and support students in the virtual setting.

Authors

• Jenna Bohanski, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire

• Christine Calderon Vriesema, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire